BETH ORTON is on the verge of becoming an enigma without really trying. She’s hardly a household name but the mythology that surrounds her makes for great story telling. Legend has it that when Orton first tried singing professionally, she…

SMASH MOUTH has been on the road for so it’s amazing that frontman Steve Harwell knows what city he’s in, let alone the time zone. It’s 9 a.m. and he’s refusing to leave his hotel bed in Seattle. “Who does…

WELCOME TO THE DARK Carnival, “a celestial circus of lunacy, madness and excess that travels through time and space to distort pleasant youthful memories into a horrific living nightmare.” Insane Clown Posse members Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope combine…

SAN DIEGO’S BLINK 182 appeals to a young crowd with its fast, catchy punk-pop tunes and lyrics about body parts, bodily functions and girls. The music isn’t written specifically to attract a youthful crowd. Blink’s members — Mark Hoppus (25)…

OUR LADY PEACE had been together barely a year when it scored a record contract with Sony Music Canada. The deal even gave the fledgling Canadian rock band full creative control. Now, with its current rockin’ single, “Superman’s Dead,” tearing…